One bite at a time.....

In case you're just joining in on this month's theme, I am offering survival techniques for folks that are NOT organized.  Folks like yours truly.  I need coping mechanisms for home management and just plain LIFE in general because I am not one of those folks who ooze organization.  My friend Jan told me once that I am "macro-organized", not "micro-organized."  I think that was a kind embrace of my messy cabinets and a choice to celebrate the ability to purchase Christmas gifts in July.  So I'm going with it. 

The survival tip I'm sharing today is my weekly chore schedule.  I will freely admit that my favorite gift was when my generous sister-in-law gave me two weeks of maid service after my babies were born.  Loved it.  And maybe my favorite part was not that I didn't have to clean my house but that it was all clean at the same time!  Wow that was nice!  In spite of loving that feeling, I am willing to approach housecleaning in a piecemeal fashion.  Attacking a task or two each day rather than all chores on one day.  It's manageable for our family and over time, it actually results in an acceptably clean house almost all the time.  (OK, my cleanliness standards may not meet yours, I confess.  But I'm good with that :) )  It becomes routine enough that kids develop the habit of completing these chores methodically.  In fact, they think that everybody does laundry on Mondays and Thursdays and trash on Tuesdays! 

Breaking it down like this is how I move from the "macro" of a clean house to the "micro" of what needs to be done.  The site I mentioned earlier (flylady.net) uses this approach, too.  Here's how the Chambers tackle housecleaning:

Monday - clean bathrooms, laundry, dust, empty trash cans, sweep porches, vacuum
Tuesday - take trash to street
Thursday - laundry, empty trash cans
Friday - wash towels and sheets, vacuum, bathrooms

Kitchen duty is of course everyday and other chores like window cleaning, decluttering, etc are scheduled as needed.  But this basic plan gets it done for us.  Without consuming a 3 hour block of time that I cannot afford.

Clean kitchen

Even though I am truly not organized, I don't like clutter and chaos.  I function well in a harmonious environment.  This explains why my cabinets and closets look like they do - as long as I don't have to look at them, I don't mind so much! Just keep my living space tidy and I'm OK!!

This is especially true for my kitchen. It's such an integral part of not only my day but also each member of my family that its appearance affects the atmosphere of our home. " Dirty and cluttered" spreads negativity.  .  Being greeted by dirty dishes in the sink or pandemonium on the counters when I wake up in the morning or come in from a long day drains the energy from me.  It seems to take more strength, time, and thought to clean up at those points than it does just before bed or right before I head out the door. Conversely, clean and tidy living space translates positively to our attitudes.    So I make sure my kitchen is clean before I leave the house or go to bed. 

I found years ago that this simple strategy brings huge payoff. (  And "clean" doesn't have to mean suitable for surgery.  Just no dishes in the sink.  Counters wiped off.  Items returned to proper places.  A quick floor sweep is a bonus but not mandatory. ) It's not only a boost to our spirits but it's also easier to maintain a clean kitchen once it's tidy. If it's dirty or cluttered, it acts like a magnet to attract more chaos.  That little bit of extra effort is certainly worth the trouble.

A friend told me about a website that has some great tips and step by step instructions on keeping your house in order.  FLYlady.net  She suggests that the first thing to do is "shine your sink".  I like her site.  Although I don't technically "shine my sink", I like her approach and her systems.  And I really like a kitchen that's ready for me to enjoy!

Tip for today - clean the kitchen before bed and/or leaving the house

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....is over

Some of you may get a pass on today's tip.  You may already have implemented this suggestion because your Mama told you the same thing mine did - Christmas decorations have to come down before the New Year begins.  I believe that is somewhere in the Bible.

Today's tip is to put your Christmas decorations away if you haven't already done so.  Throw out the ones that need to go.  Make your first 2014 donation to Goodwill if there are items you don't use but don't need to trash. Getting rid of stuff will make your life a lot easier.  Promise.  Label items so that unpacking them in December will be easy.  (And so that your family members could easily pack them away for you next year.  That was the case for me this year when my sweet Mary Alice arrived on Christmas Day and I got to take care of her big brother for a few days while my home crew undecorated the house.  They read that same part of the Bible about decorations.  Generational bondage...?)

It won't take as long as you think it will.  Packing and labeling doesn't have to meet House Beautiful standards.  Just put the stuff neatly in a box or bag and write the contents with a sharpie on a piece of masking tape.  Then put it all in the attic or garage.  Together.

If you get to rest today, go thank your Mama.

New Year's Day Tip

Today, I will cook a bunch of black-eyed peas.  My Mom will cook the collard greens because I can't stand them - but I will surely take a bite as I have for as long as I can remember....because it's good luck!  I won't do laundry (although I think that somewhere in my unremembered past I surely must have washed clothes on New Year's Day and have been consequently condemned to the perennial laundry duty that is my current existence.....).  And watch football with family and friends. 

My organizational tip for today is to relax.  Replenish.  Recharge your batteries after a demanding holiday season.  And look forward to this month of tips, realizing that you don't have to be the organized person all the magazines urge you to be.  When I worked in the corporate world, management training seminars instructed us to "work smarter, not harder".  That's my mantra as a wife, a mom, and a woman.  Smarter, not harder.

So today, relax.  We'll start forming new habits tomorrow.  See ya then!

It's a new year...so what?

 

It's the beginning of a new year. I love this season!  A new page on the calendar - a new calendar in fact!  Fresh start.  Chance to begin again.

We've had an unusually busy couple of months at our house.  Addition to our family, getting my folks settled here, on top of the holidays and a household that operates at warp speed for normalcy.  It's been exciting but it was comforting when my husband decided it was time to circle the wagons and called us together for family conference.  Time to regroup.  He asked us all to share 3 successes from this past year and then 3 goals we would set for 2014.  Not resolutions.  Goals.  Things that would stretch us, but be attainable.  Something measurable and specific. 

I am so glad he led us through this exercise.  It got me to thinking way past our family meeting.  So very helpful to take some time to evaluate my life from this past year, celebrating ground I've gained as well as to contemplate what things I can do differently for next year .

My goals cover three different aspects of my life - physical, spiritual, and practical.   I challenge you to do the same, regardless of which areas you focus on. And share your goals with someone - goals made public are far more likely to be reached.

Rather than being idle or pointlessly busy, I want to make the most of every opportunity.  In fact, I want to create opportunities! Life will just pass by without my making investments in anything that matters unless I am intentional and purposeful.  And that won't happen without some thought.  Before you move into the next day, spend some time thinking about your goals and heed what Ephesians 5:16 exhorts:

making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 

 

I hope that this time next year I'll have 3 success stories to share.  And more goals to set!

 

Happy New Year!